Wipe and methods for manufacturing and using a wipe

ABSTRACT

A wipe is provided including a nonwoven substrate and an active agent containing composition. The nonwoven substrate includes a mixture of natural fiber and polylactide fiber. The nonwoven substrate can contain about 0.5 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the polylactide fiber and about 10 wt. % to about 95 wt. % of the natural fiber. The nonwoven substrate can have a basis weight of about 10 lb/3000 ft 2  to about 50 lb/3000 ft 2 . The wipe can contain the active agent containing composition in an amount of about 0.5 lb/3000 ft 2  to about 300 lb/3000 ft 2 . The wipe can be provided so that it satisfies the definition for biodegradability according to ASTM D 6868-03. A method for manufacturing a wipe is provided.

This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/503,864that was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office onAug. 14, 2006. The entire disclosure of U.S. application Ser. No.11/503,864 is incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wipe, and to methods for using awipe. The wipe includes a nonwoven substrate that contains natural fiberand polylactide fiber, and active agent. The wipe can be provided as awet wipe or as a dry to touch wipe, and can be available for use inwiping a hard surface such as a counter, a floor, furniture, tile,ceramic, etc. The wipe can be contained in packaging as a single wipe orcan be contained in packaging as multiple wipes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wet wipes are typically pre-moistened, disposable towelettes which maybe utilized in a variety of applications both domestic and industrial,and perform a variety of functions. Wet wipes can be used to wipeinanimate surfaces. In addition, wipes can be used as personal hygienewipes (e.g. hand wipes) for cleaning various parts of the body. Wetwipes can provide numerous benefits such as cleaning, cleansing, anddisinfecting.

One particular application for wet wipes is wiping and/or cleaningsurfaces and the application of compositions to surfaces, for example,kitchen and bathroom surfaces, spectacles, shoes and surfaces whichrequire cleaning in industry, for example, surfaces of machinery orvehicles.

Wet wipes are commonly constructed from webs of combinations ofsynthetic, man-made and natural fibres, such as polyolefin fibres,viscose fibres, cotton fibres, which are generally moistened with anaqueous composition which may contain amongst other ingredientssurfactants, preservatives, oils and scents depending on the end useenvisaged.

Disposable wipes for cleaning hard surfaces are described. See WO89/05114 and EP 0 211 773. Wipes can be provided from fabric of naturalor synthetic fibers, and can include an antimicrobial agent. See EP 0113 254 and EP 0 233 943

Traditionally, hard surface cleaning wipes have been made usingsynthetic fibres because synthetic fibres provide sufficient strength inthe wipe for it to withstand the stress and strain of the cleaningaction. Wipes made using natural and synthetic fibres have generallybeen much weaker in terms of tensile strength and have required the useof a binder or wet strength agent to increase the tensile strength to alevel suitable to withstand the cleaning action. EP 0 602 881 disclosesa wet wipe comprising wool pulp and man-made fibres made preferably foruse in personal hygiene, for example as moist toilet paper. The wipesalso comprise a wet strength agent, for example polyacrylamide, toimprove the wet strength of the wipe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wipe is provided according to the invention. The wipe includes anonwoven substrate and an active agent containing composition. Thenonwoven substrate includes a mixture of natural fiber and polylactidefiber. The nonwoven substrate can contain about 0.5 wt. % to about 75wt. % of the polylactide fiber and about 10 wt. % to about 95 wt. % ofthe natural fiber. The nonwoven substrate can have a basis weight ofabout 10 lb/3000 ft² to about 50 lb/3000 ft². The wipe can contain theactive agent containing composition in an amount of about 0.5 lb/3000ft² to about 300 lb/3000 ft².

A method for manufacturing a wipe is provided according to theinvention. The method includes the step of forming a nonwoven substrateand a step of loading an active agent containing composition onto thenonwoven substrate. The nonwoven substrate can be formed from a mixtureof natural fiber and polylactide fiber by a wet laid process. Themixture can contain about 0.5 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the polylactidefiber and about 10 wt. % to about 95 wt. % of the natural fiber. Theactive agent containing composition can be loaded onto the nonwovensubstrate in an amount of about 0.5 lb/3000 ft² to about 300 lb/3000 ft²

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A wipe includes a nonwoven substrate and an active agent containingcomposition loaded onto the nonwoven substrate. The wipe can be used forvarious applications including cleaning, dusting, disinfectant,deodorizing, moisturizing, imparting a fragrance, etc. The wipe can beprovided as a moist wipe or as a wipe that is dry to touch. A wipe thatis dryer to touch generally has a dry or nontacky feel. The wipe can bepackaged as a single wipe or the wipe can be packaged in a containerhaving multiple wipes.

The wipe can be provided as a biodegradable wipe. In general, abiodegradable wipe is a wipe that satisfies the definition forbiodegradability established by ASTM D 6868-03. It should be understoodthat the wipe does not have to satisfy the biodegradability definitionof ASTM D 6868-03. If desired, the wipe can be provided so that it doessatisfy the biodegradability definition of ASTM D 6868-03.

Nonwoven Substrate

The nonwoven substrate can be formed from a mixture of natural fiber andpolylactide fiber. The substrate can include a sufficient amount ofpolylactide fiber to provide the nonwoven substrate with desired clothor hand feel characteristics, and to provide the nonwoven substrate withdesired porosity.

Natural fiber refers to fiber formed from plants or animals. Naturalfibers are not fibers that are formed as a result of extrusion orspinning. The natural fibers can be obtained from a source of fiberusing techniques such as chemical pulping, chemical mechanical pulping,semi chemical pulping, or mechanical pulping. Natural fibers from plantsare often referred to as cellulosic fibers.

Exemplary natural fibers that can be used to form the nonwoven substrateinclude wood fibers and non-wood natural fibers such as vegetablefibers, cotton, various straws (e.g., wheat and rye), various canes(e.g., bagasse and kenaf), silk, animal fiber, (e.g., wool), grasses(e.g., bamboo, etc.), hemp, corn stalks, abaca, etc.

Wood fiber can be obtained from wood pulp. The wood pulp can includehardwood fibers, softwood fibers, or a blend of hardwood fibers andsoftwood fibers. The pulp can be provided as cellulose fiber fromchemical pulped wood, and can include a blend from coniferous anddeciduous trees. By way of example, wood fibers can be from northernhardwood, northern softwood, southern hardwood, or southern softwood.Hardwood fibers tend to be more brittle but are generally more costeffective for use because the yield of pulp from hardwood is higher thanthe yield of pulp from softwood. The pulp can contain about 0 to about70% hardwood fibers (or about 0 to about 100%) based on the weight ofthe fibers. Softwood fibers have desired paper making characteristicsbut are generally more expensive than hardwood fibers. The pulp cancontain about 0 to about 100% softwood fibers based on the weight of thefibers. The pulp can contain a blend of hardwood and softwood fibers.

The natural fibers can be extracted with various pulping techniques. Forexample, mechanical or high yield pulping can be used for stone groundwood, pressurized ground wood, refiner mechanical pulp, andthermomechanical pulp. Chemical pulping can be used incorporating kraft,sulfite, and soda processing. Semi-chemical and chemi-mechanical pulpingcan also be used which includes combinations of mechanical and chemicalprocesses to produce chemi-thermomechanical pulp.

The natural fibers can also be bleached or unbleached. One of skill inthe art will appreciate that the bleaching can be accomplished throughmany methods including the use of chlorine, hypochlorite, chlorinedioxide, oxygen, peroxide, ozone, or a caustic extraction.

The pulp can include a recycle source for reclaimed fiber. Exemplaryrecycle sources include post-consumer waste (PCW) fiber, office waste,and corrugated carton waste. Post-consumer waste fiber refers to fiberrecovered from paper that is recycled after consumer use. Office wasterefers to fiber obtained from office waste, and corrugated carton wasterefers to fiber obtained from corrugated cartons. Additional sources ofreclaimed fiber include newsprint and magazines. Reclaimed fiber caninclude both natural and synthetic fiber. Incorporation of reclaimedfiber in the nonwoven substrate can aid in efficient use of resourcesand increase satisfaction of the end user of the wipe.

Refining is the treatment of pulp fibers to develop their papermakingproperties. Refining increases the strength of fiber to fiber bonds byincreasing the surface area of the fibers and making the fibers morepliable to conform around each other, which increases the bondingsurface area and leads to a denser sheet, with fewer voids. Moststrength properties of paper increase with pulp refining, since theyrely on fiber to fiber bonding. The tear strength, which depends highlyon the strength of the individual fibers, actually decreases withrefining. Refining of pulp increases the fibers flexibility and leads toa denser substrate. This means bulk, opacity, and porosity decrease(densometer values increase) with refining. Fibrillation is a result ofrefining paper fibers. Fibrillation is the production of rough surfaceson fibers by mechanical and/or chemical action; refiners break the outerlayer of fibers, e.g., the primary cell wall, causing the fibrils fromthe secondary cell wall to protrude from the fiber surfaces.

The fibers can be refined so that the resulting nonwoven substrateprovides the desired Canadian Standard Freeness value. In general, lessrefined fiber can provide a nonwoven substrate having more holes andvoids and thereby permitting greater penetration into the nonwovensubstrate. It may be desirable to provide a desired level of refining tocontrol the presence of holes or voids so that the nonwoven substratecan contain a desired amount or loading of the active agent containingcomposition.

Polylactide fiber refers to fiber containing polylactide as a componentof the fiber. The fiber can be provided entirely from polylactide or itcan be provided as a blend of polylactide and another polymer. Thepolylactide can be a homopolymer of polylactide or a copolymer ofpolylactide and one or more polymer or comonomer.

Polylactide refers to a polymer formed from lactide or lactic acid. Itshould be understood that the nomenclature relating to polylactide canbe confusing. Sometimes, people refer to the polymer resulting from thepolymerization of lactic acid as polylactic acid, and the polymerresulting from the polymerization of lactide as polylactide. At othertimes, people refer to the polymer resulting from the polymerization oflactic acid or from the polymerization of lactide as polylactic acid oras polylactide. As used herein, the term “polylactide” is intended torefer to polymers prepared as a result of polymerizing lactic acid or asa result of polymerizing lactide. Accordingly, polylactic acid is a formof polylactide. The confusion relating to the nomenclature ofpolylactide may be seen as a result of how polylactide is formed. Lacticacid is a fairly common starting material as a result of fermentation.Lactic acid can be polymerized as a result of a condensation reaction toform polylactic acid and water. Starting with lactic acid, it isdifficult to form relatively high molecular weight polylactic acid. Therelatively low molecular weight polylactic acid formed from polymerizinglactic acid can be depolymerized to form lactide. Lactide is a cyclicdimer of lactic acid. Lactide can then be polymerized to form relativelyhigh molecular weight polylactide.

Polylactide can be formed having a relatively high molecular weight fromL-lactide, D-lactide, meso-lactide or a mixture thereof. The L-lactideis structured from two S-lactic acid residuals, the D-lactide isstructured from two R-lactic acid residuals, and the meso-lactide isstructured from both an S-lactic acid residual and an R-lactic acidresidual. The reference to “residuals” of lactic acid refers to theportion of the lactic acid molecule remaining in lactide or polylactide.For example, two lactic acid residuals can combine with a molecule ofwater to form two lactic acid molecules.

Various techniques are available for forming fiber from polylactide. Forexample, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,873, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference. Exemplary techniques for formingpolylactide fibers include melt blowing, spunbonding, and melt spinning.

Polylactide polymers which can be used to form fibers for preparing thenonwoven substrate are available under the tradename EcoPLA™ fromNatureWorks LLC. Polylactide fibers can be obtained as described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,506,873. Polylactide that can be used to form the fiberincludes the polylactide described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,142,023;5,274,059; 5,274,073; 5,258,488; 5,357,035; 5,338,822; 5,359,026;5,484,881; 5,536,807; and 5,594,095. It should be understood thatpolylactide fibers refer to fibers containing polylactide, and that canadditionally contain copolymers of polylactide and another polymer,blends of polylactide and another polymer, or mixtures thereof.

The nonwoven substrate can contain a sufficient amount of thepolylactide fiber so that the wipe exhibits desirable cloth and handfeel characteristics. The natural fiber can provide a nonwoven substratefor use as a wipe that is relatively inexpensive, but has a tendency toprovide the wipe with stiffness. Polylactide fiber can be included inthe nonwoven substrate in an amount sufficient to improve the cloth andhand feel characteristics of the nonwoven substrate.

The nonwoven substrate can be prepared from fibers containing naturalfiber, polylactide fiber, or a mixture of natural fiber and polylactidefiber. The nonwoven substrate can contain 0 wt. % to 100 wt. % naturalfiber and can contain 0 wt. % to 100 wt. % polylactide fiber, based onthe weight of the fiber of the nonwoven substrate. In order to providethe nonwoven substrate with desired cloth and hand feel properties or toprovide the nonwoven substrate with desired air permeability, thenonwoven substrate can be prepared from a mixture of natural fiber andpolylactide fiber. The nonwoven substrate can be prepared from a mixturecontaining about 10 wt. % to about 95 wt. % natural fiber, about 20 wt.% to about 92 wt. % natural fiber, about 40 wt. % to about 90 wt. %natural fiber, or about 50 wt. % to about 85 wt. % natural fiber. Thenonwoven substrate can be prepared from a mixture containing about 0.5wt. % to about 75 wt. % polylactide fiber, about 2 wt. % to about 60 wt.% polylactide fiber, about 10 wt. % to about 55 wt. % polylactide fiber,or about 20 wt. % to about 50 wt. % polylactide fiber. The weightpercent of fiber is based upon the fiber content of the nonwovensubstrate.

It can be desirable to provide the polylactide fiber having a lengththat is as long as possible to form a nonwoven substrate on a papermaking machine in order to obtain the maximum benefit of the presence ofthe polylactide fiber. In general, it is expected that by using a longerpolylactide fiber, it may be possible to use less of the polylactidefiber prepared with a nonwoven substrate that uses shorter fiber. Ingeneral, an exemplary polylactide fiber length that can be used on apaper making machine is about 3 mm to about 6 mm (about ⅛ inch to about¼ inch). It may be desirable to provide the polylactide fiber having alength of up to about 2 inches.

The polylactide fiber can have a denier selected to provide desiredcloth or hand feel characteristics. In general, a small denier can beused to enhance the cloth or hand feel characteristics. Fibers having alarger denier tend to be more coarse. Accordingly, the polylactide fibercan have a denier of about 0.5 to about 20, a denier of about 0.5 toabout 10, a denier of about 0.5 to about 5, or a denier of about 1.0 toabout 2.

The nonwoven substrate can be provided having a basis weight thatprovides a wipe having sufficient feel, absorbency, and durability forwiping a surface. When used to wipe a hard surface, for example, thenonwoven substrate can have a basis weight so that it does not feelflimsy. In addition, the nonwoven substrate should not have a basisweight that is so high so that it feels too stiff. For example, thenonwoven substrate can have a basis weight of about 10 lb/3,000 ft² toabout 50 lb/3,000 ft², about 20 lb/3,000 ft² to about 40 lb/3,000 ft²,or about 25 lb/3,000 ft² to about 35 lb/3,000 ft².

The nonwoven substrate can be formed by a wet laid process. Exemplarywet laid processes that can be used include those wet laid processesthat are generally considered paper making processes and wet laidprocesses that are often used to make nonwovens other than paper or inaddition to paper. Exemplary paper making wet laid processes includethose processes carried out on a paper making machine such as aFourdrinier machine. Additional paper making processes include processescarried out on a twin wire machine or on a cylinder machine. Anadditional wet laid process that can be used for making nonwovens can becarried out on as an inclined wire machine. An exemplary inclined wiremachine is a Hydroformer machine.

The fibers for use in forming the nonwoven substrate can be fibers thatare convenient for use on a paper making machine. During a paper makingprocess, a wet mass of fibers is typically applied to a wire or screento form a substrate, and the substrate is subsequently dried by runningthe substrate over heated cans.

When processing natural fibers such as wood pulp to form the nonwovensubstrate, it can be desirable to process the fiber in a wet laidprocess such as on a paper making machine. However, when the naturalfiber is not wood pulp or when the fiber is entirely or almost entirelypolylactide fiber, it may be desirable to use another nonwoven substrateforming technique such as air laid, spun bond, melt blown, to form thenonwoven substrate.

The nonwoven substrate can include additives such as a wet strengthadditive to help hold the fiber together. Exemplary wet strengthadditives that can be used to hold the fiber together and maintainstrength when wet include urea formaldehyde resin (e.g., Amres PR-247HVfrom Georgia Pacific Resins), melamine formaldehyde resin (e.g., Parez607 from Cytec Industries, Inc.), polyamides, polyacrylamides,polyimines, polyethyleneimines (PEI), wet end latexes, size presslatexes (e.g., polyacrylates, styrene, butadiene, copolymers, styreneacrylic copolymers, ethylene, vinyl acetate copolymers, nitrile rubbers,polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene acrylate copolymers,vinyl acetate acrylate copolymers, or mixtures thereof). An exemplarypolyamide is polyamide epichlorohydrin resin (PAE) (Kymene 970 resinavailable from Hercules, Inc.). If the nonwoven substrate includes a wetstrength additive, the nonwoven substrate can contain about 0.1 wt. % toabout 8 wt. % of the wet strength additive, or about 1 wt. % to about 4wt. % of the wet strength additive.

The nonwoven substrate can include a binder to help hold the fibertogether. Exemplary binders that can be used include latexes. Theaddition of a binder such as a latex can be referred to as a form ofchemical bonding. The latexes can be provided as polyacrylates, styrene,butadiene, copolymers, styrene acrylic copolymers, ethylene, vinylacetate copolymers, nitrile rubbers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylacetate, ethylene acrylate copolymers, vinyl acetate acrylatecopolymers, or mixtures thereof. When the nonwoven substrate includes abinder, the nonwoven substrate can include the binder in an amout ofabout 0.5 wt. % to about 25 wt. %, and can include the binder in anamount of about 2 wt. % to about 15 wt. %.

The nonwoven substrate can be provided without a binder. It should beunderstood that the term “binder” refers to a chemical binding agent.Other forms of binding can occur in the nonwoven substrate. For example,there can be mechanical binding. An example of mechanical bindingincludes entanglement. The fibers of the nonwoven substrate can behydroentangled, if desired. In addition, binding can occur as a resultof melting or softening of fibers and the fibers thereby stickingtogether. Polylactide, for example, can melt or soften to provide bybonding. Various techniques for providing binding include thermalbonding (e.g., using fusible fibers, bicomponent fibers, calenderbonding or ultrasonics), hydrogen bonding (e.g., of the cellulosicfibers), or mechanical bonding (hydroentanglement, needlepunch, orstitchbonding).

Creping

The nonwoven substrate can be creped. In general, creping a substratecan be desirable to modify properties of the substrate. For example,creping can be used to enhance loft or hand feel properties, increaseflexibility, increase stretch, and/or increase openness of the substraterelative to the flat sheet. The flat sheet refers to the nonwovensubstrate prior to creping. Once the nonwoven substrate has been creped,it can be referred to as a creped substrate. It can be fairly convenientto crepe the nonwoven substrate after it has been prepared as a resultof a wet laid process. Once the nonwoven substrate has been formed as aresult of the wet laid process, a creping step can be conveniently addedto the process to provide a desired level of creping. Techniques forcreping a nonwoven substrate are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No.11/080,346 that was filed with the United States Patent and TrademarkOffice on Mar. 15, 2005. The entire disclosure of U.S. application Ser.No. 11/080,346 is incorporated herein by reference.

One of skill in the art will appreciate that many different methods maybe used to crepe paper. An exemplary creping press can include a firstcrepe press roll made of a soft material and a second crepe press rollmade of a more rigid material such as steel. The substrate can travelbetween the rolls and adhere to and follow the second crepe press roll.The substrate can be creped off the second crepe press roll using adoctor blade (or creping blade) to produce a rough creped papersubstrate.

The substrate that is creped can be characterized as wet or dry. Crepinga wet substrate can be referred to as wet creping, and creping a drysubstrate can be referred to as dry creping. In the case of wet creping,it can be desirable for the substrate to have a water content of about20 wt. % to about 65 wt. %. In addition, the substrate can have amoisture content of about 35 wt. % to about 60 wt. %. Dry creping isgenerally characterized as creping a substrate having a moisture contentof less than about 20 wt. %.

Creping can impart a degree of stretchability or elongation to asubstrate. Elongation properties may be measured according to TAPPI testT494. The substrate can be creped to provide a creped paper producthaving an elongation of at least about 1% in the machine direction (MD)according to TAPPI test T494. In addition, the substrate can be crepedto provide an elongation of at least about 2% in the machine direction,and can be creped to provide an elongation of at least 3% in the machinedirection, according to TAPPI test T494. Although the substrate can becreped to provide a crepe paper product having the desired elongation,it is generally expected that the elongation will be less than about 30%in the machine direction (MD) according to TAPPI test T494. The crepedpaper product can be provided having an elongation of about 3% to about15% in the machine direction (MD) according to TAPPI test T494, and canbe provided having an elongation of about 4% to about 10% in the machinedirection according to TAPPI test T494.

The creping process results in the formation of creping lines on therough creped paper substrate. In general, creped paper having arelatively low number of lines per lineal inch can be associated withheavy papers that are generally more abrasive and rougher compared withcreped paper having more crepe lines per lineal inch to produce lighterpapers that are finer and smoother. It should be understood that this isjust a general characterization and heavy papers can include a highernumber of crepe lines per lineal inch than lighter papers. Whenproviding more abrasive and rougher creped paper, the creping processcan provide about 5 to about 15 crepe lines per lineal inch. For finerand smoother creped paper products, it may be desirable to provide atleast about 15 crepe lines per lineal inch. It is expected that thenumber of crepe lines can be as large as desired for a particularapplication. For example, it may be desirable to provide creped paperhaving in excess of 100 crepe lines per lineal inch. For example, it maybe desirable to provide creped paper having up to about 200 crepe linesper lineal inch. In addition, the creped paper product can include crepelines of about 15 to about 100 per lineal inch, about 17 to about 50 perlineal inch, and about 20 to about 30 per lineal inch.

Active Agent Containing Composition

The wipe can contain an active agent containing composition thatcontains an active agent to assist with the use of the wipe. The activeagent containing composition can be included with the nonwoven substrateto provide cleaning properties, disinfectant properties, deodorizingproperties, moisturizing properties fragrance properties, etc. An activeagent containing composition that provides cleaning properties can bereferred to as a cleaning composition. An active agent containingcomposition that provides disinfectant properties can be referred to asa disinfectant composition. Additional compositions containing thevarious active agents can be referred to as, for example, moisturizingcompositions, abrasive compositions, deodorizing compositions, etc. Theactive agent can be a surfactant, organic solvent, disinfectant,antibacterial agent, bacteriostat, pH adjuster, abrasive, colorant,viscosity bodying agent, moisturizer, perfume, deodorizer, or mixturethereof. It should be understood that the weight percentages of thecomponents identified in the active agent containing composition arebased upon the weight of the active agent containing composition.

Surfactant

The active agent containing composition can be provided as a cleaningcomposition containing at least one surfactant. Exemplary surfactantsinclude anionic, nonionic, cationic, ampholytic, amphoteric,zwitterionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof. A typical listing ofanionic, nonionic, ampholytic, and zwitterionic classes, and species ofthese surfactants, is given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,678 to Laughlin etal. A list of suitable cationic surfactants is given in U.S. Pat. No.4,259,217 to Murphy. Where present, ampholytic, amphoteric andzwitterionic surfactants are generally used in combination with one ormore anionic and/or nonionic surfactants. The surfactants may be presentat a level of from 0 wt. % to 5 wt. %, or from 0.001 wt. % to 2 wt. %,or from 0.01 wt. % to 0.5 wt. %. Where concentrated cleaning solutionsare required, the surfactants may be present at a level of from 5 wt. %to 50 wt. %, or from 5 wt. % to 20 wt. %, or from 5 wt. % to 10 wt. %.Where dry-to-the-touch cleaning solutions are required, the surfactantsmay be present at a level of from 5 wt. % to 100 wt. %, or from 10 wt. %to 90 wt. %, or from 50 wt. % to 70 wt. %.

The cleaning composition may comprise an anionic surfactant. Essentiallyany anionic surfactants useful for detersive purposes can be comprisesin the cleaning composition. These can include salts (including, forexample, sodium, potassium, ammonium, and substituted ammonium saltssuch as mono-, di- and tri-ethanolamine salts) of the anionic sulfate,sulfonate, carboxylate and sarcosinate surfactants. Anionic surfactantsmay comprise a sulfonate or a sulfate surfactant. Anionic surfactantsmay comprise an alkyl sulfate, a linear or branched alkyl benzenesulfonate, or an alkyldiphenyloxide disulfonate, as described herein.

Other anionic surfactants include the isethionates such as the acylisethionates, N-acyl taurates, fatty acid amides of methyl tauride,alkyl succinates and sulfosuccinates, monoesters of sulfosuccinate (forinstance, saturated and unsaturated C12-C18 monoesters) diesters ofsulfosuccinate (for instance saturated and unsaturated C6-C14 diesters),N-acyl sarcosinates. Resin acids and hydrogenated resin acids are alsosuitable, such as rosin, hydrogenated rosin, and resin acids andhydrogenated resin acids present in or derived from tallow oil. Anionicsulfate surfactants suitable for use herein include the linear andbranched primary and secondary alkyl sulfates, alkyl ethoxysulfates,fatty oleoyl glycerol sulfats, alkyl phenol ethylene oxide ethersulfates, the C5-C17 acyl-N—(C1-C4 alkyl) and —N—(C₁-C₂ hydroxyalkyl)glucamine sulfates, and sulfates of alkylpolysacchanides such as thesulfates of alkylpolyglucoside (the nonionic nonsulfated compounds beingdescribed herein). Alkyl sulfate surfactants may be selected from thelinear and branched primary C10-C18 alkyl sulfates, the C11-C15 branchedchain alkyl sulfates, or the C12-C14 linear chain alkyl sulfates.

Alkyl ethoxysulfate surfactants can be selected from the groupconsisting of the C10-C18 alkyl sulfates which have been ethoxylatedwith from 0.5 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide per molecule. The alkylethoxysulfate surfactant can be a C11-C18, or a C11-C15 alkyl sulfatewhich has been ethoxylated with from 0.5 to 7, or from 1 to 5, moles ofethylene oxide per molecule. One aspect of the invention employsmixtures of alkyl sulfate and/or sulfonate and alkyl ethoxysulfatesurfactants. Such mixtures have been disclosed in PCT Patent ApplicationNo. WO 93/18124.

Anionic sulfonate surfactants suitable for use herein include the saltsof C5-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates, alkyl ester sulfonates, C6-C22primary or secondary alkane sulfonates, C6-C24 olefin sulfonates,sulfonated polycarboxylic acids, alkyl glycerol sulfonates, fatty acylglycerol sulfonates, fatty oleyl glycerol sulfonates, and any mixturesthereof. Suitable anionic carboxylate surfactants include the alkylethoxy carboxylates, the alkyl polyethoxy polycarboxylate surfactantsand the soaps (‘alkyl carboxyls’), especially certain secondary soaps asdescribed herein. Suitable alkyl ethoxy carboxylates include those withthe formula RO(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)CH₂COO⁻M⁺ wherein R is a C6 to C18 alkylgroup, x ranges from 0 to 10, and the ethoxylate distribution is suchthat, on a weight basis, the amount of material where x is 0 is lessthan 20% and M is a cation. Suitable alkyl polyethoxypolycarboxylatesurfactants include those having the formula RO—(CHR¹—CHR²—O)—R³ whereinR is a C6 to C18 alkyl group, x is from 1 to 25, R¹ and R² are selectedfrom the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl acid radical, succinicacid radical, hydroxysuccinic acid radical, and mixtures thereof, and R³is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, substituted orunsubstituted hydrocarbon having between 1 and 8 carbon atoms, andmixtures thereof.

Exemplary soap surfactants include the secondary soap surfactants, whichcontain a carboxyl unit connected to a secondary carbon. Secondary soapsurfactants for use herein include water-soluble members selected fromthe group consisting of the water-soluble salts of 2-methyl-1-undecanoicacid, 2-ethyl-1-decanoic acid, 2-propyl-1-nonanoic acid,2-butyl-1-octanoic acid and 2-pentyl-1-heptanoic acid. Certain soaps mayalso be included as suds suppressors.

Other exemplary anionic surfactants are the alkali metal sarcosinates offormula R—CON(R¹)CH—)COOM, wherein R is a C5-C17 linear or branchedalkyl or alkenyl group, R¹ is a C1-C4 alkyl group and M is an alkalimetal ion. Examples are the myristyl and oleoyl methyl sarcosinates inthe form of their sodium salts.

Essentially any alkoxylated nonionic surfactants are suitable herein.The ethoxylated and propoxylated nonionic surfactants are suitable.Alkoxylated surfactants can be selected from the classes of the nonioniccondensates of alkyl phenols, nonionic ethoxylated alcohols, nonionicethoxylated/propoxylated fatty alcohols, nonionic ethoxylate/propoxylatecondensates with propylene glycol, and the nonionic ethoxylatecondensation products with propylene oxide/ethylene diamine adducts.

The condensation products of aliphatic alcohols with from 1 to 25 molesof alkylene oxide, particularly ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide,are suitable for use herein. The alkyl chain of the aliphatic alcoholcan either be straight or branched, primary or secondary, and generallycontains from 6 to 22 carbon atoms. Also suitable are the condensationproducts of alcohols having an alkyl group containing from 8 to 20carbon atoms with from 2 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide per mole ofalcohol.

Polyhydroxy fatty acid amides suitable for use herein are those havingthe structural formula R²CONR¹Z wherein: R¹ is H, C1-C4 hydrocarbyl,2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxypropyl, ethoxy, propoxy, or a mixture thereof,or C1-C4 alkyl, or C1 or C2 alkyl, or C1 alkyl (i.e., methyl); and R² isa C5-C31 hydrocarbyl, or straight-chain C5-C19 alkyl or alkenyl, orstraight-chain C9-C17 alkyl or alkenyl, or straight-chain C11-C17 alkylor alkenyl, or mixture thereof-, and Z is a polyhydroxyhydrocarbylhaving a linear hydrocarbyl chain with at least 3 hydroxyls directlyconnected to the chain, or an alkoxylated derivative (for example,ethoxylated or propoxylated) thereof. Z can be derived from a reducingsugar in a reductive amination reaction; for example, Z is a glycityl.

Exemplary fatty acid amide surfactants include those having the formula:R¹CON(R²)₂ wherein R¹ is an alkyl group containing from 7 to 21, or from9 to 17 carbon atoms and each R² is selected from the group consistingof hydrogen, C1-C4 alkyl, C1-C4 hydroxyalkyl, and —(C₂H₄O)_(x)H, where xis in the range of from 1 to 3.

Exemplary alkylpolysaccharides for use herein are disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 4,565,647 to Llenado, having a hydrophobic group containing from 6to 30 carbon atoms and a polysaccharide, e.g., a polyglycoside,hydrophilic group containing from 1.3 to 10 saccharide units.Alkylpolyglycosides may have the formula:R²O(C_(n)H_(2n)O)_(t)(glycosyl)_(x) wherein R² is selected from thegroup consisting of alkyl, alkylphenyl, hydroxyalkyl,hydroxyalkylphenyl, and mixtures thereof in which the alkyl groupscontain from 10 to 18 carbon atoms; n is 2 or 3; t is from 0 to 10, andx is from 1.3 to 8. The glycosyl may be derived from glucose.

Exemplary amphoteric surfactants for use herein include the amine oxidesurfactants and the alkyl amphocarboxylic acids. Suitable amine oxidesinclude those compounds having the formula R³(OR⁴)_(x)NO(R⁵)₂ wherein R³is selected from an alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, acylamidopropyl and alkylphenylgroup, or mixtures thereof, containing from 8 to 26 carbon atoms; R⁴ isan alkylene or hydroxyalkylene group containing from 2 to 3 carbonatoms, or mixtures thereof-, x is from 0 to 5, preferably from 0 to 3;and each R⁵ is an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group containing from 1 to 3, ora polyethylene oxide group containing from 1 to 3 ethylene oxide groups.Examples are C10-C18 alkyl dimethylamine oxide, and C10-18 acylamidoalkyl dimethylamine oxide. A suitable example of an alkylamphodicarboxylic acid is Miranol(™) C2M Conc. manufactured by Miranol,Inc., Dayton, N.J.

Zwitterionic surfactants can also be used. These surfactants can bebroadly described as derivatives of secondary and tertiary amines,derivatives of heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amines, orderivatives of quaternary ammonium, quaternary phosphonium or tertiarysulfonium compounds. Betaine and sultaine surfactants are exemplaryzwittenionic surfactants for use herein.

Exemplary betaines are those compounds having the formulaR(R¹)₂N⁺R²COO⁻wherein R is a C6-C18 hydrocarbyl group, each R¹ istypically C1-C3 alkyl, and R² is a C1-C5 hydrocarbyl group. Examples areC12-18 dimethyl-ammonio hexanoate and the C10-18 acylamidopropane (orethane) dimethyl (or diethyl) betaines. Complex betaine surfactants arealso suitable for use herein.

Exemplary cationic surfactants to be used herein include the quaternaryammonium surfactants. The quaternary ammonium surfactant can be a monoC6-C16, or C6-C10 N-alkyl or alkenyl ammonium surfactants wherein theremaining N positions are substituted by methyl, hydroxyethyl orhydroxypropyl groups. Examples are also the mono-alkoxylated andbis-alkoxylated amine surfactants.

Another suitable group of cationic surfactants, which can be used in thedetergent compositions or components thereof herein, are cationic estersurfactants. The cationic ester surfactant is a, often waterdispersible, compound having surfactant properties comprising at leastone ester (i.e. —COO—) linkage and at least one cationically chargedgroup. Suitable cationic ester surfactants, including choline estersurfactants, have for example been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,228,042, 4,239,660 and 4,260,529. The ester linkage and cationicallycharged group may be separated from each other in the surfactantmolecule by a spacer group consisting of a chain comprising at leastthree atoms (i.e. of three atoms chain length), or from three to eightatoms, or from three to five atoms, or three atoms. The atoms formingthe spacer group chain are selected from the group consisting, ofcarbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms and any mixtures thereof, with theproviso that any nitrogen or oxygen atom in said chain connects onlywith carbon atoms in the chain. Thus spacer groups having, for example,—O—O—(i.e. peroxide), —N—N—, and —N—O— linkages are excluded, whilstspacer groups having, for example —CH₂—O—, CH₂— and —CH₂—NH—CH₂—linkages are included. The spacer group chain may comprise only carbonatoms, or the chain is a hydrocarbyl chain.

The cleaning composition may comprise cationic mono-alkoxylated aminesurfactants, for instance, of the general formula: R¹R²R³N⁺ApR⁴X⁻wherein R¹ is an alkyl or alkenyl moiety containing from about 6 toabout 18 carbon atoms, or from 6 to about 16 carbon atoms, or from about6 to about 14 carbon atoms; R² and R³ are each independently alkylgroups containing from one to about three carbon atoms, for instance,methyl, for instance, both R² and R³ are methyl groups; R⁴ is selectedfrom hydrogen, methyl and ethyl; X⁻ is an anion such as chloride,bromide, methylsulfate, sulfate, or the like, to provide electricalneutrality; A is a alkoxy group, especially a ethoxy, propoxy or butoxygroup; and p is from 0 to about 30, or from 2 to about 15, or from 2 toabout 8. The ApR⁴ group in the formula may have p=1 and is ahydroxyalkyl group, having no greater than 6 carbon atoms whereby the—OH group is separated from the quaternary ammonium nitrogen atom by nomore than 3 carbon atoms. Suitable ApR⁴ groups are —CH₂CH₂—OH,—CH₂CH₂CH₂—OH, —CH₂CH(CH₃)—OH and —CH(CH₃)CH₂—OH. Suitable R¹ groups arelinear alkyl groups, for instance, linear R¹ groups having from 8 to 14carbon atoms.

Exemplary cationic mono-alkoxylated amine surfactants for use herein areof the formula R¹(CH₃)(CH₃)N⁺(CH₂CH₂O)₂₋₅H X⁻ wherein R¹ is C10-C18hydrocarbyl and mixtures thereof, especially C10-C14 alkyl, or C10 andC12 alkyl, and X is any convenient anion to provide charge balance, forinstance, chloride or bromide.

As noted, compounds of the foregoing type include those wherein theethoxy (CH₂CH₂O) units (EO) are replaced by butoxy, isopropoxy[CH(CH₃)CH₂O] and [CH₂CH(CH₃)O] units (i-Pr) or n-propoxy units (Pr), ormixtures of EO and/or Pr and/or i-Pr units.

The cationic bis-alkoxylated amine surfactant may have the generalformula: R¹R²N⁺ApR³A′qR⁴X⁻ wherein R¹ is an alkyl or alkenyl moietycontaining from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms, or from 10 to about 16carbon atoms, or from about 10 to about 14 carbon atoms; R² is an alkylgroup containing from one to three carbon atoms, for instance, methyl;R³ and R⁴ can vary independently and are selected from hydrogen, methyland ethyl, X⁻ is an anion such as chloride, bromide, methylsulfate,sulfate, or the like, sufficient to provide electrical neutrality. A andA′ can vary independently and are each selected from C1-C4 alkoxy, forinstance, ethoxy, (i.e., —CH₂CH₂O—), propoxy, butoxy and mixturesthereof, p is from 1 to about 30, or from 1 to about 4 and q is from 1to about 30, or from 1 to about 4, or both p and q are 1.

Suitable cationic bis-alkoxylated amine surfactants for use herein areof the formula R¹CH₃N⁺(CH₂CH₂OH)(CH₂CH₂OH) X⁻ wherein R¹ is C10-C18hydrocarbyl and mixtures thereof, or C10, C12, C14 alkyl and mixturesthereof, X⁻ is any convenient anion to provide charge balance, forexample, chloride. With reference to the general cationicbis-alkoxylated amine structure noted above, since in one examplecompound R¹ is derived from (coconut) C12-C14 alkyl fraction fattyacids, R² is methyl and ApR³ and A′qR⁴ are each monoethoxy.

Other cationic bis-alkoxylated amine surfactants useful herein includecompounds of the formula: R¹R²N⁺—(CH₂CH₂O)_(p)H—(CH₂CH₂O)_(q)HX⁻.wherein R¹ is C10-C18 hydrocarbyl, or C10-C14 alkyl, independently p is1 to about 3 and q is 1 to about 3, R² is C1-C3 alkyl, for example,methyl, and X⁻ is an anion, for example, chloride or bromide.

Other compounds of the foregoing type include those wherein the ethoxy(CH₂CH₂O) units (EO) are replaced by butoxy (Bu) isopropoxy[CH(CH₃)CH₂O] and [CH₂CH(CH₃)O] units (i-Pr) or n-propoxy units (Pr), ormixtures of EO and/or Pr and/or i-Pr units.

The inventive compositions may include at least one fluorosurfactantselected from nonionic fluorosurfactants, cationic fluorosurfactants,and mixtures thereof which are soluble in the aqueous compositions beingtaught herein, particularly compositions which do not include furtherdetersive surfactants, or further organic solvents, or both. Usefulnonionic fluorosurfactant compounds are found among the materialspresently commercially marketed under the tradename Fluorad® (ex. 3MCorp.) Exemplary useful fluorosurfactants include those sold as Fluorad®FC-740, generally described to be fluorinated alkyl esters; Fluorad®FC-430, generally described to be fluorinated alkyl esters; Fluorad®FC-431, generally described to be fluorinated alkyl esters; and,Fluorad® FC-170-C, which is generally described as being fluorinatedalkyl polyoxyethlene ethanols.

Suitable nonionic fluorosurfactant compounds include those which isbelieved to conform to the following formulation:C_(n)F_(2n+1)SO₂N(C₂H₅)(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)CH₃ wherein: n has a value of from1-12, or from 4-12, or 8; x has a value of from 4-18, or from 4-10, or7; which is described to be a nonionic fluorinated alkyl alkoxylate andwhich is sold as Fluorad® FC-171 (3M Corp).

Additionally useful nonionic fluorosurfactant compounds are also foundamong the materials marketed under the tradename ZONYL® (DuPontPerformance Chemicals). These include, for example, ZONYL® FSO andZONYL® FSN. These compounds have the following formula:RfCH₂CH₂O(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)H where Rf is F(CF₂CF₂)_(y). For ZONYL® FSO, x is0 to about 15 and y is 1 to about 7. For ZONYL® FSN, x is 0 to about 25and y is 1 to about 9.

An example of a useful cationic fluorosurfactant compound has thefollowing structure: C_(n)F_(2n+1)SO₂NHC₃H₆N⁺(CH₃)₃I⁻ where n˜8. Thiscationic fluorosurfactant is available under the tradename Fluorad®FC-135 from 3M. Another example of a useful cationic fluorosurfactant isF₃—(CF₂)_(n)—(CH₂)_(m)SCH₂CHOH—CH₂—N⁺R₁R₂R₃ Cl⁻ wherein: n is 5-9 and mis 2, and R₁, R₂ and R₃ are —CH₃. This cationic fluorosurfactant isavailable under the tradename ZONYL® FSD (available from DuPont,described as2-hydroxy-3-((gamma-omega-perfluoro-C₆₋₂₀-alkyl)thio)-N,N,N-trimethyl-1-propylammonium chloride). Other cationic fluorosurfactants suitable for use inthe present invention are also described in EP 866,115 to Leach andNiwata.

The fluorosurfactant selected from the group of nonionicfluorosurfactant, cationic fluorosurfactant, and mixtures thereof may bepresent in amounts of from 0.001 wt. % to 5 wt. %, or from 0.01 wt. % to1% wt. %, or from 0.01 wt. % to 0.5 wt. %.

Water

The active agent containing composition can contain water, or can befree of water. When the active agent containing composition containswater, water can be provided in an amount of about 5 wt. % to about 90wt. % based on the weight of the active agent containing composition. Inaddition, the active agent containing composition can contain about 15wt. % to about 80 wt. % water, or about 20 wt. % to about 60 wt. %water. It should be understood that the reference to the amount of wateror the amount of the active agent containing composition on thesubstrate refers to the amount provided on the substrate or provided ina packaging with the substrate. That is, the substrate can be packagedwith the active agent containing composition so that, within thepackaging, there is free active agent containing composition.

Organic Solvent

Exemplary organic solvents that can be used include, but are not limitedto, C₁₋₆ alkanols, C₁₋₆ diols, C₁₋₁₀ alkyl ethers of alkylene glycols,C₃₋₂₄ alkylene glycol ethers, polyalkylene glycols, short chaincarboxylic acids, short chain esters, isoparafinic hydrocarbons, mineralspirits, alkylaromatics, terpenes, terpene derivatives, terpenoids,terpenoid derivatives, formaldehyde, and pyrrolidones. Alkanols include,but are not limited to, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol,butanol, pentanol, and hexanol, and isomers thereof. Diols include, butare not limited to, methylene, ethylene, propylene and butylene glycols.Alkylene glycol ethers include, but are not limited to, ethylene glycolmonopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycolmonohexyl ether, diethylene glycol monopropyl ether, diethylene glycolmonobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monohexyl ether, propylene glycolmethyl ether, propylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol n-propylether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, propylene glycol t-butyl ether,di- or tri-polypropylene glycol methyl or ethyl or propyl or butylether, acetate and propionate esters of glycol ethers. Short chaincarboxylic acids include, but are not limited to, acetic acid, glycolicacid, lactic acid and propionic acid. Short chain esters include, butare not limited to, glycol acetate, and cyclic or linear volatilemethylsiloxanes. Water insoluble solvents such as isoparafinichydrocarbons, mineral spirits, alkylaromatics, terpenoids, terpenoidderivatives, terpenes, and terpenes derivatives can be mixed with awater soluble solvent when employed.

Examples of organic solvent having a vapor pressure less than 0.1 mm Hg(20° C.) include, but are not limited to, dipropylene glycol n-propylether, dipropylene glycol t-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol n-butylether, tripropylene glycol methyl ether, tripropylene glycol n-butylether, diethylene glycol propyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether,dipropylene glycol methyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol ethyl etheracetate, and diethylene glycol butyl ether acetate (all available fromARCO Chemical Company).

The solvents can be present at a level of from 0.001 wt. % to 10 wt. %,or from 0.01 wt. % to 10 wt. %, or from 1 wt. % to 4 wt. % by weight.

Additional Adjuncts

The cleaning compositions optionally contain one or more of thefollowing adjuncts: stain and soil repellants, lubricants, odor controlagents, perfumes, fragrances and fragrance release agents, and bleachingagents. Other adjuncts include, but are not limited to, acids,electrolytes, dyes and/or colorants, solubilizing materials,stabilizers, thickeners, defoamers, hydrotropes, cloud point modifiers,preservatives, and other polymers. The solubilizing materials, whenused, include, but are not limited to, hydrotropes (e.g. water solublesalts of low molecular weight organic acids such as the sodium and/orpotassium salts of toluene, cumene, and xylene sulfonic acid). Theacids, when used, include, but are not limited to, organic hydroxyacids, citric acids, keto acid, and the like. Electrolytes, when used,include, calcium, sodium and potassium chloride. Thickeners, when used,include, but are not limited to, polyacrylic acid, xanthan gum, calciumcarbonate, aluminum oxide, alginates, guar gum, methyl, ethyl, clays,and/or propyl hydroxycelluloses. Defoamers, when used, include, but arenot limited to, silicones, aminosilicones, silicone blends, and/orsilicone/hydrocarbon blends. Bleaching agents, when used, include, butare not limited to, peracids, hypohalite sources, hydrogen peroxide,and/or sources of hydrogen peroxide.

Preservatives, when used, include, but are not limited to, mildewstat orbacteriostat, methyl, ethyl and propyl parabens, short chain organicacids (e.g. acetic, lactic and/or glycolic acids), bisguanidinecompounds (e.g. Dantagard and/or Glydant) and/or short chain alcohols(e.g. ethanol and/or IPA). The mildewstat or bacteriostat includes, butis not limited to, mildewstats (including non-isothiazolone compounds)include Kathon GC, a 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, KATHON ICP,a 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, and a blend thereof, and KATHON 886, a5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, all available from Rohm and HaasCompany; BRONOPOL, a 2-bromo-2-nitropropane 1,3 diol, from Boots CompanyLtd., PROXEL CRL, a propyl-p-hydroxybenzoate, from ICI PLC; NIPASOL M,an o-phenyl-phenol, Na.sup.+salt, from Nipa Laboratories Ltd., DOWICIDEA, a 1,2-Benzoisothiazolin-3-one, from Dow Chemical Co., and IRGASAN DP200, a 2,4,4′-trichloro-2-hydroxydiphenylether, from Ciba-Geigy A. G.

Antimicrobial Agent

Antimicrobial agents include quaternary ammonium compounds andphenolics. Non-limiting examples of these quaternary compounds includebenzalkonium chlorides and/or substituted benzalkonium chlorides,di(C₆-C₁₄)alkyl di short chain (C₁₋₄ alkyl and/or hydroxyalkl)quaternaryammonium salts, N-(3-chloroallyl) hexaminium chlorides,benzethonium chloride, methylbenzethonium chloride, and cetylpyridiniumchloride. Other quaternary compounds include the group consisting ofdialkyldimethyl ammonium chlorides, alkyl dimethylbenzylammoniumchlorides, dialkylmethylbenzylammonium chlorides, and mixtures thereof.Biguanide antimicrobial actives including, but not limited topolyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride, p-chlorophenyl biguanide;4-chlorobenzhydryl biguanide, halogenated hexidine such as, but notlimited to, chlorhexidine (1,1′-hexarnethylene-bis-5-(4-chlorophen-ylbiguanide) and its salts are also in this class.

Builder/Buffer

The cleaning composition may include a builder or buffer, which increasethe effectiveness of the surfactant. The builder or buffer can alsofunction as a softener and/or a sequestering agent in the cleaningcomposition. A variety of builders or buffers can be used and theyinclude, but are not limited to, phosphate-silicate compounds, zeolites,alkali metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium polyacetates, trialkalisalts of nitrilotriacetic acid, carboxylates, polycarboxylates,carbonates, bicarbonates, polyphosphates, aminopolycarboxylates,polyhydroxysulfonates, and starch derivatives.

Builders or buffers can also include polyacetates and polycarboxylates.The polyacetate and polycarboxylate compounds include, but are notlimited to, sodium, potassium, lithium, ammonium, and substitutedammonium salts of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminetriacetic acid, ethylenediamine tetrapropionic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, oxydisuccinic acid,iminodisuccinic acid, mellitic acid, polyacrylic acid or polymethacrylicacid and copolymers, benzene polycarboxylic acids, gluconic acid,sulfamic acid, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, organicphosphonic acids, acetic acid, and citric acid. These builders orbuffers can also exist either partially or totally in the hydrogen ionform.

The builder agent can include sodium and/or potassium salts of EDTA andsubstituted ammonium salts. The substituted ammonium salts include, butare not limited to, ammonium salts of methylamine, dimethylamine,butylamine, butylenediaamine, propylamine, triethylamine,trimethylamine, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine,isopropanolamine, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and propanolamine.

Buffering and pH adjusting agents, when used, include, but are notlimited to, organic acids, mineral acids, alkali metal and alkalineearth salts of silicate, metasilicate, polysilicate, borate, hydroxide,carbonate, carbamate, phosphate, polyphosphate, pyrophosphates,triphosphates, tetraphosphates, ammonia, hydroxide, monoethanolamine,monopropanolamine, diethanolamine, dipropanolamine, triethanolamine, and2-amino-2methylpropanol. Some examples are amino acids such as lysine orlower alcohol amines like mono-, di-, and tri-ethanolamine. Othernitrogen-containing buffering agents are tri(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (TRIS), 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol,2-amino-2-methyl-propanol, 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanol, disodiumglutamate, N-methyl diethanolamide, 2-dimethylamino-2-methylpropanol(DMAMP), 1,3-bis(methylamine)-cyclohexane, 1,3-diamino-propanolN,N′-tetra-methyl-1,3-diamino-2-propanol, N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine(bicine) and N-tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl glycine (tricine). Othersuitable buffers include ammonium carbamate, citric acid, acetic acid.Mixtures of any of the above are also acceptable. Useful inorganicbuffers/alkalinity sources include ammonia, the alkali metal carbonatesand alkali metal phosphates, e.g., sodium carbonate, sodiumpolyphosphate. For additional buffers see WO 95/07971, which isincorporated herein by reference. Other preferred pH adjusting agentsinclude sodium or potassium hydroxide.

When employed, the builder, buffer, or pH adjusting agent comprises atleast about 0.001% and typically about 0.01-5% of the cleaningcomposition. In one example, the builder or buffer content is about0.01-2%.

Pine Oil, Terpene Derivatives and Essential Oils

Compositions according to the invention may comprise pine oil, terpenederivatives and/or essential oils. Pine oil, terpene derivatives andessential oils are used primarily for cleaning efficacy. They may alsoprovide some antimicrobial efficacy and deodorizing properties. They mayalso be advantageous when the wipe is intended to be used as a dust wipefor removing dust from a surface such as wood (e.g., furniture). Pineoil, terpene derivatives and essential oils may be present in thecompositions in amounts of up to about 1 wt. %, or in amounts of 0.01wt. % to 0.5 wt. %.

Pine oil is a complex blend of oils, alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydesand other organic compounds. These include terpenes which include alarge number of related alcohols or ketones. Some important constituentsinclude terpineol. One type of pine oil, synthetic pine oil, willgenerally contain a higher content of turpentine alcohols than the twoother grades of pine oil, namely steam distilled and sulfate pine oils.Other important compounds include alpha- and beta-pinene (turpentine),abietic acid (rosin), and other isoprene derivatives. Particularlyeffective pine oils are commercially available from MellenniumChemicals, under the Glidco tradename. These pine oils vary in theamount of terpene alcohols and alpha-terpineol.

Terpene derivatives appropriate for use in the inventive compositioninclude terpene hydrocarbons having a functional group, such as terpenealcohols, terpene ethers, terpene esters, terpene aldehydes and terpeneketones. Examples of suitable terpene alcohols include verbenol,transpinocarveol, cis-2-pinanol, nopol, isobomeol, carbeol, piperitol,thymol, alpha-terpineol, terpinen-4-ol, menthol, 1,8-terpin,dihydro-terpineol, nerol, geraniol, linalool, citronellol,hydroxycitronellol, 3,7-dimethyl octanol, dihydro-myrcenol,tetrahydro-alloocimenol, perillalcohol, and falcarindiol. Examples ofsuitable terpene ether and terpene ester solvents include 1,8-cineole,1,4-cineole, isobomyl methylether, rose pyran, menthofuran,trans-anethole, methyl chavicol, allocimene diepoxide, limonenemono-epoxide, isobornyl acetate, nonyl acetate, terpinyl acetate,linalyl acetate, geranyl acetate, citronellyl acetate, dihydro-terpinylacetate and meryl acetate. Further, examples of suitable terpenealdehyde and terpene ketone solvents include myrtenal, campholenicaldehyde, perillaldehyde, citronellal, citral, hydroxy citronellal,camphor, verbenone, carvenone, dihydro-carvone, carvone, piperitone,menthone, geranyl acetone, pseudo-ionone, ionine, iso-pseudo-methylionone, n-pseudo-methyl ionone, iso-methyl ionone and n-methyl ionone.

Essential oils include, but are not limited to, those obtained fromthyme, lemongrass, citrus, lemons, oranges, anise, clove, aniseed, pine,cinnamon, geranium, roses, mint, lavender, citronella, eucalyptus,peppermint, camphor, sandalwood, rosmarin, vervain, fleagrass,lemongrass, ratanhiae, cedar and mixtures thereof. Actives of essentialoils to be used herein include, but are not limited to, thymol (presentfor example in thyme), eugenol (present for example in cinnamon andclove), menthol (present for example in mint), geraniol (present forexample in geranium and rose), verbenone (present for example invervain), eucalyptol and pinocarvone (present in eucalyptus), cedrol(present for example in cedar), anethol (present for example in anise),carvacrol, hinokitiol, berberine, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, methylsalycilic acid, methyl salycilate, terpineol and mixtures thereof.Examples of actives of essential oils to be used herein are thymol,eugenol, verbenone, eucalyptol, terpineol, cinnamic acid, methylsalycilic acid, citric acid and/or geraniol.

Other essential oils include Anethole 20/21 natural, Aniseed oil chinastar, Aniseed oil globe brand, Balsam (Peru), Basil oil (India), Blackpepper oil, Black pepper oleoresin 40/20, Bois de Rose (Brazil) FOB,Borneol Flakes (China), Camphor oil, White, Camphor powder synthetictechnical, Canaga oil (Java), Cardamom oil, Cassia oil (China),Cedarwood oil (China) BP, Cinnamon bark oil, Cinnamon leaf oil,Citronella oil, Clove bud oil, Clove leaf, Coriander (Russia), Coumarin69.degree. (China), Cyclamen Aldehyde, Diphenyl oxide, Ethyl vanilin,Eucalyptol, Eucalyptus oil, Eucalyptus citriodora, Fennel oil, Geraniumoil, Ginger oil, Ginger oleoresin (India), White grapefruit oil,Guaiacwood oil, Gurjun balsam, Heliotropin, Isobomyl acetate,Isolongifolene, Juniper berry oil, L-methhyl acetate, Lavender oil,Lemon oil, Lemongrass oil, Lime oil distilled, Litsea Cubeba oil,Longifolene, Menthol crystals, Methyl cedryl ketone, Methyl chavicol,Methyl salicylate, Musk ambrette, Musk ketone, Musk xylol, Nutmeg oil,Orange oil, Patchouli oil, Peppermint oil, Phenyl ethyl alcohol, Pimentoberry oil, Pimento leaf oil, Rosalin, Sandalwood oil, Sandenol, Sageoil, Clary sage, Sassafras oil, Spearmint oil, Spike lavender, Tagetes,Tea tree oil, Vanilin, Vetyver oil (Java), Wintergreen. Each of thesebotanical oils is commercially available.

Oils include peppermint oil, lavender oil, bergamot oil (Italian),rosemary oil (Tunisian), and sweet orange oil. These may be commerciallyobtained from a variety of suppliers including: Givadan Roure Corp.(Clifton, N.J.); Berje Inc. (Bloomfield, N.J.); BBA Aroma Chemical Div.of Union Camp Corp. (Wayne, N.J.); Firmenich Inc. (Plainsboro N.J.);Quest International Fragrances Inc. (Mt. Olive Township, N.J.); RobertetFragrances Inc. (Oakland, N.J.).

Particularly useful lemon oil and d-limonene compositions which areuseful in the invention include mixtures of terpene hydrocarbonsobtained from the essence of oranges, e.g., cold-pressed orange terpenesand orange terpene oil phase ex fruit juice, and the mixture of terpenehydrocarbons expressed from lemons and grapefruit.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theinvention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, the inventionresides in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. A wipe comprising: (a) a nonwoven substrate comprising a mixture ofnatural fiber and polylactide fiber the mixture, comprising about 0.5wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the polylactide fiber and about 10 wt. % toabout 95 wt. % of the natural fiber, and having a basis weight of about10 lb/3000 ft² to about 50 lb/3000 ft²; and (b) an active agentcontaining composition in an amount of about 0.5 lb/3000 ft² to about300 lb/3000 ft².
 2. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the naturalfiber comprises wood fiber.
 3. A wipe according to claim 2, wherein thewood fiber comprises a blend of hardwood fibers and soft wood fibers. 4.A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the natural fiber comprisesnon-wood fiber.
 5. A wipe according to claim 4, wherein the non-woodfiber comprises at least one of vegetable fiber, cotton, straw, cane,grass, hemp, silk, corn stalk, abaca, or mixture thereof.
 6. A wipeaccording to claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises about 10 wt. % toabout 55 wt. % polylactide fiber and about 40 wt. % to about 90 wt. %natural fiber.
 7. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the active agentcontaining composition is loaded onto the nonwoven substrate in anamount of about 30 lb/3000 ft² to about 150 lb/3000 ft².
 8. A wipeaccording to claim 1, wherein the nonwoven substrate has a basis weightof about 20 lb/3000 ft² to about 40 lb/3000 ft².
 9. A wipe according toclaim 1, wherein the nonwoven substrate contains about 0.1 wt. % toabout 8 wt. % wet strength additive.
 10. A wipe according to claim 9,wherein the wet strength additive comprises urea formaldehyde resin,melamine formaldehyde resin, polyamides, polyacrylamides, polyimines,polyethyleneimines, and latexes.
 11. A wipe according to claim 1,wherein the nonwoven substrate comprises about 0.5 wt. % to about 25 wt.% binder.
 12. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the fibers are boundby entanglement, melting or softening of the polylactide fiber, or acombination thereof.
 13. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the activeagent containing composition comprises about 0.001 wt. % to about 2 wt.% surfactant.
 14. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the active agentcontaining composition comprises about 0.001 wt. % to about 10 wt. %organic solvent.
 15. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the activeagent containing composition comprises about 5 wt. % to about 90 wt. %water.
 16. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein the active agentcontaining composition comprises about 0.1 wt. % to about 1 wt. % pineoil, terpene oil, or essential oil.
 17. A wipe according to claim 1,wherein the wipe comprises a preservative, an antimicrobial agent, abuilder, or a buffer.
 18. A wipe according to claim 1, wherein thenonwoven substrate comprises a creped substrate.
 19. A wipe according toclaim 1, wherein the wipe is biodegradable according to ASTM D 6868-03.20. A method for manufacturing a wipe comprising: (a) forming a nonwovensubstrate from a mixture of natural fiber and polylactide fiber by a wetlaid process and having a basis weight of about 10 lb/3000 ft² to about50 lb/3000 ft², wherein the mixture comprises about 0.5 wt. % to about75 wt. % of the polylactide fiber and about 10 wt. % to about 95 wt. %of the natural fiber; and (b) loading an active agent containingcomposition onto the nonwoven substrate in an amount of about 0.5lb/3000 ft² to about 300 lb/3000 ft² to form the wipe.
 21. A methodaccording to claim 20, wherein the natural fiber comprises wood fiber.22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the wood fiber comprises ablend of hardwood fibers and soft wood fibers.
 23. A method according toclaim 20, wherein the active agent is loaded onto the nonwoven substratein an amount of about 30 lb/3000 ft² to about 150 lb/3000 ft².
 24. Amethod according to claim 20, wherein the nonwoven substrate has a basisweight of about 20 lb/3000 ft² to about 40 lb/3000 ft².
 25. A methodaccording to claim 20, wherein the nonwoven substrate contains about 0.1wt. % to about 8 wt. % wet strength additive.
 26. A method according toclaim 25, wherein the wet strength additive comprises urea formaldehyderesin, melamine formaldehyde resin, polyamides, polyacrylamides,polyimines, polyethyleneimines, and latexes.
 27. A method according toclaim 20, wherein the nonwoven substrate comprises about 0.5 wt. % toabout 25 wt. % binder.
 28. A method according to claim 20, wherein thefibers are bound by entanglement, melting or softening of thepolylactide fiber, or a combination thereof.
 29. A method according toclaim 20, wherein the active agent containing composition comprisesabout 0.001 wt. % to about 2 wt. % surfactant.
 30. A method according toclaim 20, wherein the active agent containing composition comprisesabout 0.001 wt. % to about 10 wt. % organic solvent.
 31. A methodaccording to claim 20, wherein the active agent containing compositioncomprises about 5 wt. % to about 90 wt. % water.
 32. A method accordingto claim 20, wherein the active agent containing composition comprisesabout 0.1 wt. % to about 1 wt. % pine oil, terpene oil, or essentialoil.
 33. A method according to claim 20, further comprising creping thenonwoven substrate.
 34. A method according to claim 20, wherein the wipeis biodegradable according to ASTM D 6868-03.